Round Top and Stone Cellar, 5501 N Hwy 237, Round Top. We visited this venue earlier on our dancing quest. This building was moved to Round Top 22 years ago and now serves as an antiques show venue, with occasional dances. Prior to that it was the community hall in Wesley, Texas. If you want to know when a dance may be scheduled, check their website: www.stonecellarwines.com or Facebook: The Stone Cellar.
During the Dance Hall Road Trip in November, we visited again to observe the 1st Annual Tolbert Chili Cook off contest. We managed to show up as they were announcing the winners. Categories included Anything Bacon, Beans, Chili and Salsa (the sauce, not the dance.)
Dance hall rules require boots to be worn inside. That was nice, as later on the tour we found someone dancing barefoot! This hall used to be called The Airway. It was built prior to air conditioning, so big windows opened to let in the air. When they were opened, it looked like the building was “ready for take-off” according to Historic Dance Halls of East Central Texas by Stephen Dean.
This winner wore a kilt.
Samples were available after the judging. Our tour sampled everything! I wouldn’t be a good judge – they all tasted great. The cornbread muffin I tasted had cream cheese in the center, was drizzled with maple sugar and was topped with a piece of bacon. And it didn’t even place! 1st place Salsa was hot (as in temperature AND spice.)
After the samples, we strolled over to the Stone Cellar for a beverage. The Stone Cellar used to be the La Grange train depot. It was built in 1861 and moved here 23 years ago. There were renovations since our last visit. A fire pit looked inviting.
They expanded the outdoor seating.
An additional seating area was found down near the fire pit and had a nice awning.
Of course, any visit requires a dance. We were lucky to dance to live music.
Happily sated with food and dance, we boarded the bus for our next stop. If you are interested in dancing, history or antiques, this is a great place to visit!
Dancing Across Texas 